Display device



Nov. 22, 1932. I SMITH 1,888,839

DISPLAY DEVICE l Filed Oct. 31. 1951 IU im? num/muuu mlmmulmm,

v Byfm/ W is ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 22, 1932 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE GATO SMITH, OF NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO TOWLE MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF NEWBURYPORT, lVIASSACI-IUSETTS, A CORPORATION F MASSACHUSETTS DISPLAY DEVICE Application filed ctober 31, 1931. Serial No. 572,312.

This invention relates to display devicesv and more particularly to such devices for enabling purchasers of silverware to obtain a view of any selected pattern as it will appear upon being engraved or otherwise marked with a desired indicium such as an initial or a monogram.

The object of the invention is to visualize the effect of different styles of lettering or other indicia on any selected pattern 'so that, before engraving, the purchaser may have the benet of determining the style that is most appropriate for the pattern chosen and thus avoid subsequent dissatisfaction with the marking when too late to change it. A further object of the invention is to enable the purchaser to make comparison of various styles of lettering on the same flatware patt-ern or of the same style on different flatware patterns thus to aid in a satisfactory choice of both pattern and the indicium with which it is to be marked. A still further object of the invention is to provide a display device that mayeasily be manipulated by the salesman to present to his customer the image of a selectedfuture marking on silverware and which will avoid bruising or marring of the silverware being displayed.

To the accomplishment of these objects and such others as may hereinafter appear, as will readily be understood by those skilled in the art, the invention comprises the features and combinations of parts hereinafter described in detail and then pointedl out in their true scope by the appended claims.

The nature and scope of the invention will be understood from a description of the preferred embodiments thereofillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, illustrating the display devi-'fe as used for giving a view of four different styles of lettering simultaneously on four pieces of flatware;

Fig. 2 is a view, in perspective, illustrating the manner of lifting the bands of the indiciacarrying sheet to enable the handles of ilatware pieces to be slipped beneath them;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, in perspective, showing the construction at one hinged end of the display device;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view talen in section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; an

F ig. 5 is a plan view, in miniature as compared to the remaining figures, of a modied form of indicia sheet.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawing the display device comprises a sheet of transparent material, such as Celluloid or its equivalent, so formed as to present a plurality of parallel bands 10 preferably disconnected from each other by relatively narrow spaces 12 so that any one band may easily be lifted, or otherwise manipulated, with relation to the remaining bands. The bands 10 of the sheet may be formed of individual strips held in their parallel relation by securement, as by cement, to transverse end bars 14 (Figs. 3 and 4) or they may be formed, as shown at 11 in Fig. 5, by cutting parallel slots 13 within the lateral margins 15 of a sheet 17. In either case the sheet formed by the parallel bands presents the effect of bars. The bars or bands are flexible and may be bowed or lifted from a stiff underlying support either as a group or selectively in a manner presently to be explained.

Proceeding with a description of the structural features of the device, before describing the uses to which it may be put, the sheet comprising the separate bands 10 is provided with an opaque background or bed 2O secured at its ends to the end margins of the sheet and interposed between the transparency and its support which may be a piece 22 of card board. The background may be of any suitable materialsuch as vellum, a textile of any desired thread, velvet or the like; and a dark color is selected to contrast with the bright silver to be bedded upon it and to obscure the indicia, presently to be described, borne by the bands. The end securement of the transparency to the sheet forming the bed is formed as follows. A narrow margin 24 (Figs. 3 and 4) of the bed material is folded upon itself, the margin of the transparency is placed beneath this infolded margin 24, andthe structure is reinforced bv a folded piece 26 of vellum or other suitable material which encloses the margin formed by the folded bed material and interposed transparency. The lower leaf of the reinforce 26 is secured to the bed material and the upper leaf of the reinforce, infolded leaf 24 of the bed material and margin of the transparency are secured together, so that these upper secured portions may be lifted from the lower secured portions (see Fig. 2), the folded bed material and reinforcing vellum comprising the upper and lower leaves 24 and 25 opening in the manner of an accordion fold and the lower leaf 25 being hingedly connected to the bed 20. A suitable cement is used to make the secureinents just described although eyelets 28 may be employed for securing the transparency to the upper leaf of the hinge.

The background or bed is cemented to the stiff support 22 intermediate the end hinges so that normally the transparency lies flat on its bed. Preferably the cemented portion of the bed ends just short of each accordion end hinge so that a narrow fl-eXible uncemented band 30 (Figs. 3 and el) lies just inward of each hinge leaf 25 and promotes flexibility or ease in lifting an end of the transparency from the support 22. rlhe support 22 may be made only as long as the cemented portion of the background 20, as shown in Fig. 3, but preferably it extends beyond the hinges, as shown in the remaining figures, for protection thereof and to permit other sheets or leaves of a catalog to be attached. Furthermore the backing or support 22 may be as much larger than the area of the transparency as desired to provide for a price list and photographs of various silverware patterns.

The device is used to present to the intending purchaser a view of the selected pattern as marked, or a view of several pieces as marked with the same letter to enable a comparison and facilitate a choice. To this end each transparent band 10, for the greatest efficiency, bears a complete alphabet, each alphabet presenting a different style of lettering. rlhe letters of each alphabet are so spaced from each other that on inserting the handle of a spoon (or other flatware piece) between a band lO and its bed 20 and beneath a letter, the handle will be displayed as though engraved with the selected letter. The use of a dark bed or background 20 for the blackletters causes all letters not in use to remain obscure until a. piece of silverware is interposed between a letter and its backing. This overcomes the distracting eifect of so many letters in rovs if displayed on a light background. This optical feature, which cannot well be illustrated, is of great practical importance. 'io permit a comparison of the same letter simultaneously on several pieces the alphabet on each band starts with a different letter, as illustrated with A., lV, S and O reading from top to bottom. Thus a letter on any one band is laterally off-set from the same letter on any other band permitting, as illustrated by Fig. l, a simultaneous view of a future marking on four different patterns. The number of pieces or patterns that may be compared is limited only by the number of alphabet-bearing bands l0 of which the transparency is formed. rlhe alphabets may serviceably be drawn or printed in black with a special ink that cements to the Celluloid and they may then be coated with a Celluloid layer, as by spraying, to protect the ink.

In manipulating the device to permit the placing of a piece beneath a particular let- A ter on a band l() without danger of bruising or otherwise marring the piece, one of the reinforced accordion folded ends is lifted from the support 22 on the narrow band 3() as a hinge, as shown at the left in Fig. 2 for eX- ample, which shortens the distance between the ends of the flexible bands and causes them to bow substantially as illustrated. While the bands are thus lifted from the bed 2O the handle of a piece of flatware may freely be laid on the bed beneath a selected letter by pressing back to the bed the bands which lie below the band bearing the selected letter which will leave the desired band standing above the others and presents a mouth or pocket into which the handle is inserted. 0n release of the lifting pressure at the hinged end the resilience of the bands causes them to flatten and lays the selected letter upon the inserted handle so that it appears to view as though engraved with the letter (see Fig. 1).

A special advantage of the accordion hinged ends resides in their providin a liftable portion of each band just outside of an end letter and thus, by permitting the insertion of a handle close to a hinge without binding, enabling the entire length of the bands to be used forthe lettering.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the nature of the materials used is unimportant except that the alphabet bearing bands be transparent and sufficiently resilient to permit lifting from the bed and then to fall back and lie upon the handle of a flatware piece resting on the underlying bed. While the appended claims refer to silver as the medium upon which the indicia on the bands is to be displayed, the invention is useful for displaying such indicia upon any other material adapted to be engraved or otherwise marked for identification, and it is so intended.

The scope of the invention having been indicated and its preferred form having been specially described, what is claimed as new, is

l. A display device of the character described comprisingl a support and a flexible sheet of transparent material bearing indicia to be displayed lying on said support and secured thereto solely by two opposite edges, the securement at at least one of said edges being through an accordion fold hinge.

2. A display device of the character described comprising a support, and a flexible band of transparent material across said support and secured thereto at both of its ends by an accordion fold hinge to permit of its being raised above the support, said band bearing indicia to be displayed.

3. A display device of the character described comprising a stili' foundation sheet, a bed member secured thereto, a transparent sheet bearing indicia to be displayed over the bed member, and an accordion fold hinge for securing the transparent sheet by one end at least to the bed member permitting said transparent sheet to be raised above said bed member.

A. A display device of the character described comprising a stiffl foundation, a bed member secured thereto, a plurality of parallel transparent bands each bearing indicia to be displayed extending across said bed member, and a common hinged connection between all of said bands and said bed member permitting said bands to be raised as a unit simultaneously above said bed member.

5. A display device according toI claim l in which said hinged connection is at each lateral edge of said bed member and along the ends of said bands.

6. A display device of the character described comprising a support, a plurality of separate bands of transparent material lying across said support, means at the ends of said bands for connecting them to each other and to said support While permitting any band to be lifted from the support, relatively to any other band, and indicia on each band to be displayed.

7. A display device according to claim 6 .in which said indicia consists of a complete alphabet on each band.

8. A display device according to claim 6 in which said indicia consists of a complete alphabet on each band, but each such alphae bet commencing with a different letter.

9. A device for temporarily displaying the image of a future engraving on silverware and the like comprising a sheet of transparent material bearing indicia to enable such a display, a support beneath said sheet, and means for securing said sheet to its support with a major portion liftable from the support permitting the silverware to rest on said support and beneath a selected indicium borne by said transparent sheet.

10. A display device comprising a stiff foundation board, a` bed sheet of flexible material secured thereto except for its two lateral margins, a sheet of transparent material located above said bed sheet and bearing indicia to be displayed, and means for hingedly securing the two lateral margins of said indicia sheet to said unsecured lateral margins of said bed sheet to provide for raising said lateral margins of the indicia sheet above said bed sheet.

1l. A display device of the character described comprising a plurality of flexible bands of transparent material each bearing indicia thereon in series, and a stiff support beneath said bands, said bands being ara ranged in parallel relation to each other and being secured to said support at their ends, only, but forming with the support a portable unitary article, said unsecured portion of any band being liftable from the support to permit a piece of silverware to be rested on the support beneath a selected indicium of the series on said band.

12. A display device of the character described comprising a plurality of parallel flexible bands of transparent material each bearing indicia, a stift1 support beneath said bands, and an accordion fold hinge at each lateral margin of the support, common to all the band ends at that margin and when closed holding the bands flat against the supe port, whereby on opening a hinge the flexiblel bands are caused to bow away from the support and facilitate the placement of an article beneath a selected indicium on a band.

13. A display device comprising a plurality of parallel flexible bands of transparent material each bearing indicia, a stiff' support therebeneath, an accordion fold hinge common to all of the bands at one lateral margin thereof for securing them to the support, and a like but oppositely acting hinge at the other lateral margin of said bands, whereby on opening a hinge the bands are caused to arch away from the support, and the flexibility of the bands permitting one or more to be depressed opposite a selected indicium on an arched band to facilitate placing an article beneath said selected indicium on the arched band which, on again closing the hinges, engages the article beneath it and makes prominent the selected indicium as though engraved on the article.

In testimony whereof I affix my Signature.

GATO SMITH. 

